INSCRIPTIONS OF THE MIDDLE PERIOD. 209 
on the full paunch. A number of feathers hang downward from the arms and from 
the shoulder blades at the back. There are markings around the neck, that make 
a collar decoration, and on the breast there is a large ring. The feet and legs do not 
show clearly at the bottom of this carved boulder, but there are details, difficult to 
make out, which take their places. At the base of the back stands an ornamental 
detail of feathers that rise and then droop over on either side. 
“The figure under Stela 5 is of the Archaic type pure and simple, while that 
under Stela 4 would seem to be transitional in type. While it shows the squat 
seated figure with limbs carved in low relief, and arranged in an attitude common 
among Archaic sculptures, it also shows a decorative or symbolic use of feathers 
that points to an awakened skill. During the long age of the far-flung and slowly 
developing Archaic culture, art was simple and direct and devoid of elaborate 
symbolism or formalized designs. ‘The Maya of the lowlands gave the first expres- 
sion of composite forms arising out of religious concepts. On the very early statuette 
of San Andres Tuxtla we see a composite of human, bird, and serpent characters. 
So too on this early Copan product, it may be that some composite creature was 
intended, some primitive plumed animal or dragon. 
“In the more or less arid country south and west of Copan, where the Archaic 
culture had flourished for many centuries before Copan was founded, many examples 
of stone sculptures in the purely Archaic type occur. These are characterized by 
bulging eyes, flat noses, protruding lips, simple collars, arms and legs in low flat 
relief, and heavy squat bodies. The arms and legs are usually arranged in one of 
two fashions—either they are flexed against the body with knees up and elbows 
down, or the legs are bent horizontally round the base of the body, while the hands, 
with forearms horizontal and elbows pressed against the side, are made to rest on 
the breast or lower down on the abdomen. Sometimes there is a ring on the front 
of the body intended to represent the navel, or perhaps the heart. For instance, 
at the side of the road leading from Guatemala City to Mixco there is a modern 
gate adorned with two stone figures of the Archaic type, both of which show clearly 
enough this ring on the heart. (See figure 67, c.) These sculptures were found on 
the nearby site of an ancient city of great extent where heads of pottery figurines of 
the Archaic type are mingled with those of Maya type, and where several sculp- 
tured monoliths clearly show Maya influence in hieroglyphs and other features that 
possibly came on after the city was founded. In the American Museum of Natural 
History there is a similar squat figure of granite from the ruins of Santa Cruz 
Quiché. While it is probably true that sculptures of the Archaic type persisted 
on the highlands long after they had been succeeded on the lowlands by advanced 
types of art, still the general case in favor of these two broken figures found under 
Stelz 4 and 5 respectively at Copan being examples of protohistoric sculpture, 
1. €., before 9.0.0.0.0, must be regarded as very strong.” 
Stela 5 is the last monument now known at Copan which dates from 
the Middle Period; but before proceding to review the sculptures of this 
period, it is first necessary to describe a piece, Fragment Y’, which probably 
should also be included therein. 
FRAGMENT Y’. 
Provenance: Original position unknown, found in a wall near the 
house of Pablo Urrutia north of the road leading from 
the village to the Main Structure, and about midway 
between Group 8 and the Rio Sesesmil. (See plate 3.) 
Date: Middle Period? 
Text, drawing: figure 35. 
